Page 54 of Just One Season
I look up at Kellen, and he’s got a furrowed brow.
“Of course not.” I nod and stand. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
An awkward silence settles between us.
“Should we go—” Kellen’s eyes flit down to my shirt, and he groans. It’s a DC FC jersey. “Are you wearing a soccer jersey?”
“Yeah?”
“You work for a hockey team. Your brother plays for a hockey team. You are dating a hockey player. Please get some hockey apparel. Preferably Blizzard.”
I laugh. “Fakedating, and yeah, I know. I’ll work on it.”
“Let’s go.” Kellen shakes his head and huffs with (probably) fake annoyance. “Paul and Savannah are supposed to be at the cafe in fifteen minutes.”
I nod and fall into step next to Kellen.
“I hope you’re not offended that I’m not telling Ava. It’s not personal.”
“I’m not offended.” He’s being a good dad protecting his young daughter. I get it. And it makes him that much more attractive.
“I don’t want to introduce her to people I date just to have things end.” Kellen turns his body to shield me from a trio of menin suits talking and not paying attention to where they’re walking. “There was one woman I dated a year ago.” He glances at me. “We dated casually for a few months, but she had a painfully hard time interacting with Ava and Bri.”
If meeting Ava and Bri was a test, I think I passed. At least with Ava. And last night, Bri was friendly enough when I introduced myself to her and the other parents at practice.
“After I ended it, she shared all these pictures and details about our life with a hockey gossip website.”
“That’s awful.” How could someone do something like that? It’s one thing to be mad at a man for hurting you—I totally relate to that—but to do something to harm his child? Unimaginable.
Kellen shrugs. “So I’m very cautious. Especially when it comes to Ava.”
“I appreciate you trusting me with her.”
“Well, you did pass that background check.”
I laugh and gently elbow him in the arm.
A few minutes later, I’m waiting at a table at Deep Roots Cafe while Kellen gets us coffees.
My heart races in anticipation of our kiss.
“You feeling okay about this?” Kellen places a covered cup in front of me along with a jumbo slice of crumb cake.
“I guess so.”
“Did I get your coffee right?” Kellen glances at the cup. “Vanilla oat milk latte?”
“Perfect.” I nod.
“The crumb cake is really good here.” Kellen sits down right next to me. “So are the muffins.”
“Macarons are my favorite baked good. Not that you asked.” I wish I could control my tendency to offer too much information.
“Yeah? What flavors?”
“All the flavors?” I smile. “But if I had to choose: chocolate, pistachio, and salted caramel.” I tick them off my fingers.
“That’s good information to have about my fakegirlfriend.” Kellen unwraps the crumb cake and breaks it in half, pushing a section to me.
